New Orleans Played Host as Orgill Kicked Off 2025 Dealer Market for Thousands of Retail Attendees

Thousands of retailers gathered in New Orleans to attend the three-day show. Attendees were greeted by nearly 1 million square feet of products, inspirational ideas and an eager group of vendors and service providers ready to lend their support and make 2025 a successful and profitable year.

In addition to the excitement being generated by the in-person show, the 2025 Dealer Market coincides with Orgill’s Spring Buying Event, which ran Feb. 17 through March 2. Almost all of the products that were on display in New Orleans are also available via Orgill.com. The online buying event was one of four seasonal online events Orgill holds throughout the year.

“With the rapid pace of change in the home improvement industry right now, we want to do everything we can to provide our customers with the products, services and support they need to be successful,” says Boyden Moore, Orgill’s president and CEO. “Hosting our 2025 Dealer Market concurrently with our online Buying Event helps remove any friction for our customers in accessing the tools they need to build their businesses and remain competitive within their trading areas.”

Moore also issued a special welcome to the hundreds of new and prospective customers visiting an Orgill Dealer Market for the first time.

“We are excited to welcome a record number of first-time attendees at this Market, including new customers and prospects, which we think indicates that the way Orgill goes to market and puts the customer first is truly resonating throughout the channel,” Moore says. “We have so many new visitors with us exploring everything Orgill has to offer. It’s such a great opportunity for them to talk to our existing and long-time customers to learn more about why so many retailers choose Orgill
The value that a partnership with Orgill can offer retailers was evident to attendees as soon as they stepped onto the Market floor and were welcomed by more than 1,200 exhibitors, including representatives from the industry’s leading brands and most well-recognized names.

This year, this list included several of the new vendors Orgill announced just weeks before the start of the show such as GE Lighting, Sunnyside, Big Green Egg, Feathered Friend, as a trusted and preferred distribution partner.”
Broan/Nutone and more.

“Whether it is our long term vendors who have supported our customers for years or newer relationships , our merchandising team is constantly working to create strong vendor partnerships that allow our customers to meet the unique needs within their trading areas,” says Clay Jackson, Orgill executive vice president and chief operating officer.

From brand new vendors to long-time attendees, all of the exhibitors at the Dealer Market put their best foot forward to offer Orgill customers access to the products they need with special Market-only pricing and promotions.

“I give a tremendous amount of credit to our vendors who understand how important these events are for our customers. The exhibitors here know that this event plays a key role in helping the retailers we serve plan their promotional buying for the year and the Market allows them to maximize their margin potential by taking advantage of show specials,” Jackson said.

Some of the biggest opportunities for retailers to leverage show specials were being found in the Seasonal Door Buster promotional areas, pallet buy areas and among the Flash Market deals.

“The promotional buying is a huge value of the show,” says Darrell Baker, vice president of marketing and merchandising for the W.E. Aubuchon Company. “The tens of thousands of core items available at discounts with dating always make the time investment worthwhile. Then you have the Door Buster booking, which just tees up the promotional year. After that, the coupons, (planogram) discounts and new item showcase discounts are always valuable. And those are just the warehouse programs. Vendors always bring their A game to the Orgill Dealer Market as well. It all adds up to significant savings.”

Along with the opportunity to interact with industry-leading vendors, see the latest in products and assortments and cash in on special buying opportunities, attendees are also using the show to gather ideas and inspiration from two fully merchandised concept stores, take part in dozens of educational sessions and hear the latest about the host of helpful retail services available to them through Orgill and its partners.

“We've got a detailed list of vendors we will meet with at the show. The Dealer Market is a great opportunity to see new products and take advantage of the many deals available,” says Matt Nichols, vice president of branch operations at Koopman Lumber. “The concept stores are our first stop Thursday morning, and we've budgeted two hours with our sales representative to walk them and hopefully take back some fresh ideas.”

A Showcase of Opportunities
With so much to see, Orgill once again organized several of its most popular product and assortment presentations into special Showcase areas that allowed attendees to see a curated selection of merchandise and programs all in one place.

"We understand that there's a lot to take in at our Dealer Market, so we've put in a lot of effort to streamline the showfloor for a more efficient experience," says David Mobley, Orgill's executive vice president of sales. "Our Showcase areas bring together some of the most popular product assortments and programs in one dedicated space. This allows customers to visit a single area and view all the related products and programs in one convenient location."

At the 2025 show, these Showcase areas included:

Smart Start
This 10,000-plus-square-foot-area highlighted a thoughtfully curated selection of Orgill’s Smart Start merchandising assortments. Orgill’s Smart Start program offers optimized assortments within specific categories that allow retailers to easily convert their outdated assortments and freshen up their inventory.

Within the Showcase, these Smart Start assortments were organized by category and included many of the most popular products and brands, as well as some of the many new vendors such as GE, Sun Gro, Mr. Bar-B-Q, Damtite and Legrand.

There was also a centrally located checkout and information area within the Smart Start Showcase for attendees to have easy access to Orgill team members who walked them through any questions or heledp them place their Smart Start orders.

Rental
Home improvement retailers have long known about the value that an equipment rental program can offer their operations. Not only can rental help build store traffic but it also offers retailers the opportunity to add a revenue stream while helping their customers complete their projects.

The 750-square-foot Rental Showcase illustrated how retailers of all types can implement a meaningful rental assortment within their stores. The Rental Showcase featured a variety of actual rental items displayed as you would find them in store and highlights additional products and merchandising solutions that can help build rental add-on sales and drive profits.

Impulse
Building transaction size is a major key to driving sales and profitability and retailers realize that impulse sales can play a big role in increasing ticket size. To help spark ideas and provide retailers with a wealth of transaction-building opportunities, Orgill organized a 4,800-square-foot Impulse Showcase on the showfloor.

Within the Impulse Showcase, attendees could browse from hundreds of examples of impulse product assortments and also got a firsthand look at the latest in queuing systems designed to boost product awareness and sales.

Assortments featured in this area reflected a range of product mixes and are designed to offer easy seasonal transitions so retailers can ensure their impulse selections are always fresh.
From checkout displays to dump bins and wing panels, this area featured a variety of options and impulse assortments designed for all types of retailers, including hardware stores, pro dealers and farm and ranch retailers.

Exclusively Orgill
The huge 36,000-square-foot Exclusively Orgill Showcase highlighted a dynamic range of private-label and captive brand merchandise for retailers to round out their assortments and better position their offerings against any national competitor.

A visit to this area allowed retailers to examine a range of pre-season booking programs for Christmas and Halloween as well as the in-stock Patio Warehouse Program.

In addition to being able to see comprehensive offerings within these categories, the Exclusively Orgill Showcase also featured promotional endcaps and callouts to Exclusively Orgill Door Buster promotions.

A Real-World Experience
With all of the products, programs and services on display throughout the Dealer Market, Orgill has long realized that retailers can best envision where they might be able to take their businesses if they can see everything come together in a real-world retail environment.

The ability to help spark this kind of inspiration is exactly why Orgill featured two fully-merchandised concept stores on the show floor.

"While viewing products or assortments in a booth is valuable, it's crucial to see how these assortments and ideas would actually look in a real store environment," says Mobley. "Our model stores give guests the opportunity to visualize a planogram or product assortment in a true retail setting. They also allow us to highlight everything we offer, from programs to services, giving customers a sense of what it might look and feel like in their own stores."

At each Market, Orgill selects different concept stores to show the breadth of product and programs they can offer. This year, Orgill chose to highlight two different formats:

Frattallone’s Hardware & Garden
This 15,000-square-foot traditional hardware store concept was based off of the actual Minnesota-based Frattallone’s Hardware & Garden chain, which is run by Central Network Retail Group (CNRG).

Visitors to the concept store were able to see how Frattalone’s Hardware & Garden spotlights high-traffic areas like its paint department alongside seasonal flex areas for outdoor living, outdoor power equipment and more.

The store also featured a fully functional Epicor POS system that is integrated with Orgill’s FanBuilder customer loyalty program to offer hands-on demonstrations of the program’s functionality.

Other highlights included displays featuring Orgill’s Brand Building promotional endcaps and signage along with other impulse displays and merchandising suggestions.

Pinehaven Lumber
This 3,600-square-foot contractor/pro store illustrated all of the opportunities Orgill can offer lumber dealers who are looking to better meet the demands of their pro customers.

The layout provided examples of assortments that cater to smaller salesfloors in order to meet the specific needs of a more pro-focused customer base while also showcasing the latest in retail design. The goal with this set up was to help dealers improve sightlines that offer better customer awareness and improve service, reduce the potential for shrink, and cut down on customer time spent at the store for more time-pressed clientele. Some assortments also combined categories to streamline the essentials needed to avoid duplication throughout the store.

“The concept stores are the best place to see all manufacturers in one place. You get to see products and merchandising as they would show up in your store. There's also great merchandising concepts to explore. I always carve out time to dwell in the concept stores,” says Aubuchon’s Baker.

 

A Well-Rounded Offering
While products and assortments always take center stage at an Orgill Dealer Market, attendees are also looking to learn more about the business solutions Orgill and its partners can provide.

"Products and sourcing are key components of the Dealer Market, but we also want to give our customers the chance to explore all the ways they can enhance their businesses and show them how we can assist throughout that journey," says Mobley. "Whether it's support with a loyalty program, credit card processing, signage, or marketing, we're here to help and can provide the resources they need."

Within the Orgill Services Area, attendees could meet and ideate with representatives from Orgill’s team as well as some of the industry’s leading service providers.

From e-commerce resources to banking, succession planning and research, the Orgill Services area served as a hub for attendees seeking out business solutions.

“The Market is a great opportunity to get face time with vendors and discuss new programs and initiatives. I especially like that the Orgill Dealer Market features solutions and technology vendors like Epicor and Badger Technologies, which gives me a chance to meet with them directly,” says Adam Gunnett, director of IT and business intelligence for Busy Beaver Building Centers. “It’s also a fantastic opportunity to connect with other independent retailers, learn about what they’re doing in their stores, and share insights.”

In addition to being able to directly interact with service providers in this location, the Orgill Services area also served as ground zero for the Dealer Market educational programming.
Throughout the course of the three-day show, attendees were able to attend dozens of different educational workshops and clinics conducted by industry-leading experts on topics ranging from ways to improve your pricing to how to better manage employees or build your brand.

"Our customers attend the Orgill Dealer Market for ideas and inspiration," says Mobley. "Whether it's discovering new products, exploring the concept stores, or attending one of our seminars, our goal is to ignite creativity. We want them to leave with the inspiration and the practical tools they need to turn those ideas into action when they return to their businesses."

While workshops and clinics were being offered throughout the day on Thursday and Friday at the Dealer Market, the opportunity for retailers to learn actually started the day before the show, as Orgill hosted its annual Technology Symposium, which attracted hundreds of the industry’s most progressive retailers.

“It is amazing to see how this symposium has grown over the past 8 years since we first started it,” says Grant Morrow, Orgill’s director of eCommerce. “What started out as a forum for a small group of retailers who were early adopters with e-commerce has grown into an event that focuses on sharing ideas and best practices for a range of retail technologies.”

This year’s Technology Symposium was attended by several hundred retailers who got to hear from industry experts about what technology is cooking in the Orgill retail “lab” CNRG, digital marketing strategies and how to effectively leverage customer loyalty programs beyond retail customers, for Pros and beyond.

About Orgill:
Established in 1847 and headquartered in Collierville, Tennessee, Orgill is the world's largest independently owned hardlines distributor with annual sales exceeding $3.7 billion. Orgill provides products and services to over 13,000 retail locations throughout the US covering all fifty states, all Canadian provinces and territories, as well as over 50 additional countries. Orgill serves a diverse range of businesses, including hardware stores, home centers, professional lumber dealers, and farm stores. For additional information, please visit www.orgill.com.

For more information, please contact:
Earl Bernard
800-347-2860, ext. 5560
earl.bernard@orgill.com